The Winter Soldier - Who's playing?
by Ali Rockatansky
Summary: Bucky isn't quite acting like himself. Natasha catches that and with help of Barton tries to stop him before he gets out of the Avengers Tower.


"Are you off for a...erm run?" Natasha asks Bucky who is walking towards the elevator, though his choice of clothes couldn't be more wrong to do so. She doesn't get an answer and fears worst. "Jarvis, don't let Bucky to get out of the suite nor the building for that matter." She whispers to the AI, who answers as quietly as her voice had been: "Denying access to all exits for Bucky Barnes." "And alarm the others. Tell them to come here, quickly." She adds.

"Soldier!" Natasha snaps as she sees this the only way to get the Winter Soldier's attention and buy some time before the others get there. Man in front of him turns around. _Please let him be going into a rock-concert_ , she prays in her mind as she sees Soldier's eyes, something black smudged all over them. _Yeah, we have the full Winter Soldier in here alright_. "Repeat your mission soldier." She commands and in her relief, he obeys: "Take down the target. Get the blueprints. No unnecessary kills." _Oh dear_. "And?!" She really hopes there's more, otherwise there's going to be an ugly fight. In her part at least. "And go back to the pick-up point?" The soldier in front of her hesitates as he had made some kind of mistake. Natasha can see his posture change, like he's waiting for a punishment for making a question. "That's right soldier." She sees that the elevator is coming up, only couple more floors. She needs to keep the Winter Soldier's gaze on her only couple more seconds so she asks the first question that comes on her mind: "What's on the blueprints?" "There is no need me to know the contents of it. I'm told only the necessity of each mission."

The elevator doors fly open and Barton rushes in asking: "Where's the fire?" He quickly stops when the gaze that Natasha had held in her own eyes breaks free as the Soldier turns around. "Oh...who's playing?" A nervous chuckle escapes out of his mouth. It takes less than a blink of an eye for the Winter Soldier to lunge at a man that had startled him. Barton evades quickly out of the way and the Soldier hits himself hard to the elevator doors, leaving a dent, shaped of his metal arm, behind.

"Jarvis! What's the situation of the others?" Natasha bawls while taking a cover behind the sofa so she wouldn't take a hit of a Barton who is flying through the room straight at her direction. "We can't handle this on our own! Clint, are you alright?" "Yeah I'm fine. Thanks for asking." He answers before taking another hit from the mind washed soldier. "Stark is driving like a maniac, but the traffic is awful. He'll be joining us around twenty minutes and is telling you to 'hang in there'. He also asked me to show you the picture of a kitten that's hanging on a rope with it's paws, but I told him it might be inappropriate considering your situation. Captain went off for a run with Sam about forty-five minutes ago and I'm trying to contact him but he really should learn to turn his mobile on incase of situations like this. Banner is on the lab, but if you don't need the help of _the other guy_ he rather not join the fight with lack of his combat skills. And finally Thor, who actually was here until last night has disappeared and is out of reach as usual. So unless he doesn't happen magically appear here right now..." Jarvis takes a dramatic break from his speech, "I don't know how to reach him." The two Avengers glances each others while trying to avoid the Winter Soldier's cybernetic arm. After Stark had add ten percent more humour to the AI's system and it total being now around 80 percent, they'd had to listen now for weeks these kind of _dramatic pauses_ and sarcasm in it's voice.

"I would recommend you to use tranquilizers. Otherwise this is going to take you two all night." "Oh, shut it Jarvis! I'm so going to kill Tony for that shit after we've dealt with this freaking assassin." Clint barks while trying to distract the Winter Soldier so Natasha would get a chance to get a choking grip on him. "It wasn't wrong about the sedatives though. Go. I can deal with this for awhile." She commands, so Barton sprints past the two fighters and in the elevator.

Natasha puts all her skills and strength in the game and manages to get a couple good punches through but finds herself quickly been defeated by the Soldier and on the floor, smashed thru the wooden coffee table. "Finally!" She shouts as Stark rampages the room through staircase door, parts of his suit slapping on him as he speaks. "Well, it would have taken me less time if someone didn't hold back the elevator!" "It's Barton. He's getting the tranquilizers. Would you help already?" Evaluating the situation for awhile, Stark decides, the best way to get the Soldier out of the game, at least for a while, is to tackling him on the ground as hard as he possible could. It doesn't take long to Barton to get back and together all of three get the Winter Soldier sedated. Stark mostly keeping him, more importantly the metallic arm, in place as the other two give him the shots.

The time that Cap arrives, Natasha, Barton and Stark are sitting around the kitchen counter drinking Stark's most expensive scotch. "What happened here?" "Well, your _little_ friend went full Winter Soldier and decided to assassinate the whole suite." Barton replies trying to sound mad, but can't hold back a small crooked smile." Yeah, I can see that. Why didn't you inform me?" The AI answers: "I did try to call you sir." Cap reaches to his pocket and takes his phone out and murmurs. "Crap, I think I've managed to turn this thing off again." "Can I propose you an e-book called 'The modern electronics explained to the fossils', sir?" Jarvis asks and the three Avengers in the kitchen breaks into loud laugh. "We are fine by the way." Natasha says a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Oh, I'm so sorry..." Cap mutters and asks: "Where's..?" "Bucky is in his room, sleeping. And I'd say he's fine too. Maybe a little unwell when he awakes but that's the side effect of the drugs." Stark answers. Cap nods and rushes his friends room.

"Bucky." Steve asks softly and partly fears the answer. _What if it's not his best friend who opens his eyes but the Winter Soldier himself?_ After a time that feels like eternity he hears a husky voice beside him: "Punk." Steve smiles and answers by old habit: "Jerk."


End file.
